


Into the Forest

by Hannahfltx



Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-04-24 08:04:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4911772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannahfltx/pseuds/Hannahfltx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They should have known better, really they should have. But with all that was going down in Gravity Falls it really says how desperate Dipper is to call, call, him... But if anyone knows how to stop the darkness; right, there is this dark shadow over taking the city of Gravity Falls that causes people to fall into a deep sleep like coma, including Mabel and Stan, and the last person Dipper finds himself able to turn to, it's Bill. And why would Bill want him to meet someone deep in the forest?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is of course not mine, as it is clearly fanfiction. No idea where this is going, based very loosely on a picture that the amazing lunaartgallery posted on Tumblr, which i completely misinterpreted but it inspired this.

He should have known better, really he should have. But with all that was going down in Gravity Falls it really says how desperate Dipper is to call, call, him... But if anyone knows how to stop the darkness; right, there is this dark shadow over taking the city of Gravity Falls that causes people to fall into a deep sleep like coma, including Mabel and Stan, and the last person Dipper finds himself able to turn to, it's Bill.

To be fair, Dipper thinks, he should really not be this good at summoning Bill, but he is, and it makes the time it takes to get him talking is fast and effortless. Bill does love to hear his own voice.

"So Dipper you want to know what's up with the darkness, no it's not me, never really my style, the eternal sleep definitely, but none of this slow progression of this creeping darkness, trust me when I make people fall into comas, it happens quickly." Bill said, floating in the air smug, to Dipper. 

"Well?" Dipper asked, "Can you do anything about it?"

"Me, no, not my area, but I have an idea as to who could stop it, not that he is likely to agree..." Bill said looking off to the trees "But if you want I can introduce you"

Dipper didn't know what to do, anyone a friend of Bill was bound to be trouble, but he was desperate. 

"Okay." Dipper finally said, "okay... But what do you want in return?" 

" Oh Dipper, I'll tell you what I want after you meet, no, no, no don't get huffy on me now, I'm not sure how long your little town will last if you don't accept this deal, so do we have an agreement?" Bill said with a dark smile holding out his hand.

Dipper shook Bill's hand, pulling back and turning away after.

Bill smiled and said "Before we meet him, we must prepare. Get a bag of candy and meet me at the edge of the forest in an hour", Bill disappeared.

Dipper sighed and slowly made his way into the empty shack and into the kitchen, a bag of candy in one of cabinets, and sits outside and waits.

 

An hour later Dipper starts toward the edge of the forest, he can see Bill waiting. 

"You got the candy, good. Let's go." Bill turns and starts to walk into the woods, Dipper silently following behind. 

Dipper finally talks, "Who is this thing that we are meeting?"

" you don't want to know, I know and I don't like it, trust me the person we are meeting, not a happy story behind them. The person the candy is for, great kid, even I like him, so be nice." Bill says in reply. 

Dipper shrugs and goes back to walking.

A couple minutes pass and Bill stops turns to face Dipper and says "Give me the candy", Dipper does. Bill starts to lay a trail as he starts to walk again. They continue on in silence into the darkness of the forest. The forest is unsettling in their silence, because it too is silent, no sounds natural or otherwise, so unlike the forest Dipper has come to call home. That's when he hears, It. Singing. From behind.

 

A small kid, wearing small antler like branches coming off a headband holding a lantern, is skipping around, picking up the pieces of candy that formed the trail, singing about the candy trail. 

"Who?" Dipper asks not understanding.

"Exactly who we want" Bill said in response. "Greg, it's been a while." Bill faced Greg and gave a small smile.

"Do I know you? Even if I did I probably don't remember, I don't remember a lot of things, Wirt tells me that's a good thing though." Greg said.

"It's okay, it was a long time ago that we met, speaking of Wirt I need you to take us to him." Bill said, an oddly soft look on his face.

Dipper stood awkward behind the two talking. He had no idea as to what the two were talking about. 

Greg agreed to take them to Wirt, on the condition that he gets the rest of the candy, Bill readily agrees happy his plan is on track, they follow the skipping, singing child deeper into the forest, no other sounds can be heard past the trees, it unsettling, Greg's singing no longer sounds so innocent.

Dipper had not realized how dark the forest was until he focused on the light that Greg carries with him, not that the light makes him feel safe if anything it made him uneasy. Greg continued to sing, and they continued to walk deeper and deeper into the heart of the dark forest.

 

They come upon a clearing, after what had felt like hours, and Greg stopped and stared into the trees and raised the lantern over his head and started to call out,

"Wirt, Wirt there are people who want to talk to you!"

A figure stepped into the clearing, a tall figure who was as dark as the forest around them, huge antlers reaching upward from his head, an old ratty cloak around its shoulders.

"Why would anyone wish to speak to me?" The figure asked looking at Greg, then turning to face Bill and Dipper.

"The darkness, it's over the town and it's making people fall asleep, and I won't allow that to happen, the people in this town are important. Please save them." Dipper pleaded. 

The figures turned his head to look at Bill and spoke softly, 

"The darkness, it is not my doing and I can do nothing about it, and it's hardly dangerous, most likely it's a creeping darkness, such things come into town every decade or so, some people fall asleep for a while, others don't, it will pass. I'm sure Bill knew this, so why not tell you, I do so hope any deal you made with him is worth it. Because I do believe that you, have been tricked. Greg if you would be so kind, show them the way home, let's not have them get lost in the unknown." The figure said, looking back at Dipper, then he walked away back into the trees.

Greg smiled and started to slip into the forest, Dipper numb, mad at himself and mad at Bill for tricking him again. They followed back mostly in silence until they reached the edge of the darkest part of the forest, Greg pointed the way back then turned around and skipped into the darkness, which lifted off the trees, Greg nowhere to be seen. Dipper turned to Bill and lashed out,

"Why should you force me to make a deal, why not just tell me, no of course you wouldn't tell me you like making me owe you debts, why make me all the way into the forest to meet whatever that thing was, why not just tell me!"

"Dipper, you needed to meet Wirt and Greg to understand, tomorrow the sleep will lift and you and the rest of you annoying humans will fulfill your end of the deal, my price Pinetree, is the lantern, blow out the flame in the boys lantern. Do that and you will no longer owe me a debt." Bill said, blinking out of existence.

Dipper went home, dreading for tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun rose, and along with it so did the town of Gravity Falls, Dipper woke from an uneasy sleep himself. Time to tell everyone what had happened as they slept, they will be angry, he thought, another deal with Bill, and Dipper had no idea how to fulfill it, he should ask, or rather tell, Mabel. 

Mabel! She should be awake!

Dipper rushed down stairs to find Mabel and Gruncle Stan sitting eating breakfast. Dipper rushed forward and pulled Mabel into a hug, much to her confusion. 

"Not that I'm not one for hugs, cause you know I am, but what's into Dipper?" Mabel asked Dipper as he pulled away from the hug.

"You were asleep for so long I didn't know what to do, so I may have made a mistake..." Dipper said trailing off.

"What did you do?" Asked Mabel.

"I might have made a deal with Bill"

"Again, this is why you can't be left alone, did he at least help, or did he trick you again."

Dipper was silent.

"That's what I thought" Mabel started to walk out of the room but turned to face Dipper, "well are you coming so that we can clean up your mess." 

Dipper followed behind, he could trust Mabel. He could. They went to look into the book, see if it says anything about the creature. 

Dipper was close to giving up, he couldn't find anything to do with... well anything about this situation. But Dipper though, how did they meet him before... Greg! Greg was there , he took him to the creature, but even then he was the one with the lantern. They wouldn't even need to go to the creature they just needed to get the lantern from the boy. Dipper jumped up, grabbed Mabel by the arm and took off toward the kitchen. Grabbed a bag of candy off the shelf, still dragging Mabel behind him, and ran to the edge of the forest. 

"When Bill first took us to meet the creature there was this boy, he had the lantern, we used candy to lure him out. All we have to do is leave a trail of candy in the forest and he'll come to us, it's so simple!" Dipper said vigorously to Mabel, shaking her.

They started to leave the candy as they walked into the woods, waiting for anything, something to happen. It happened quickly, far quicker than either of them were expecting. They turned around as they heard the eerie singing from behind. 

Greg caught up to the siblings, and gave Dipper a confused look. 

"Didn't you meet Wirt yesterday?"

"Yes we did meet him, but I told my sister all about you and s.. Mabel what are you doing!" As Dipper spoke Mabel had reached over and picked up Greg.

"What we need to do this anyway, why bother talking when this is faster." Mabel said, still holding Greg.

Dipper shook his head and walked closer, grabbed the lantern from the struggling boy and right as he took hold of it the creature stepped out of the trees and shouted, 

"Wait, stop you don't understand what you're doing. Please give Greg back the lantern and put him down." 

Dipper, of course, didn't listen, he opened the lantern and blew out the flame.

 

Bill appeared out of nowhere, turned human-ish? Dipper had no idea that he could do that, and held out his arms as the dark pigment in the creature's skin bleed out turning it into a very human looking figure. And then Bill disappeared with him, Wirt, Dipper thinks.

 

"I'm not dead" Greg says patting himself, then taking off the headband, "the beast said that if the light goes out I'd die, but I didn't, Wirt got better!" 

Dipper looks back at Greg, who Mabel had set down, and asked,

"The beast? Who is the Beast, and why would Bill want Wirt?"

"The beast was the monster that tried to turn me into a tree, but it was not really an it, but a she. The beast was the woodsman's daughter, she told my big brother Wirt that if he put my soul into the lantern and become the beast himself, she would be free. So he did." Greg said looking down at the lantern that had fallen to the ground. "But that triangle man, he took Wirt, can you have him return him, I really miss not evil Wirt, I want to show him this rock that I found." Greg said pulling out a worn rock from a pocket.

"We'll get him bank from Bill, I promise." Dipper said to him, Mabel pulled Greg into a hug.

"It'll be okay, we'll get your brother back from Bill, I promise" Mabel tells Greg as she tightly holds on to him.

Dipper nodded, he would fix this, but first he needed to talk to Stan and Ford.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the info from Gravity Falls seems inaccurate or if anyone is ooc but its been awhile since I watched the show, I'm trying my best. Thanks for reading if you do...

When Wirt woke he was confused, the world is brighter than the unknown has any right to be, and what of the beast, surely he would not back out of a deal. The woodsman's daughter. She didn't, did she? No, Wirt thought, he saved her, she would not squander the chance to live after he took the mantle of the beast. He could still feel the power of the unknown, flowing through his veins like fire. Wirt sat up slowly and turned to look at the room he had found himself in, it doesn't look like the unknown, the sun is to bright, colors too vivid. No Wirt thought, he had no idea where he was and with his track record of having the worst luck ever, he was nowhere good. 

"You're up. Good." Said a voice to the side, a triangle floating in the air by the door into the room.

"Who? Where?" Wirt started to say, his voice quiet.

"You are out of the unknown my dear, you are safe here with me, but in order for me to get you out of that dreadful dimension I had to blow out that silly old lantern, that boy with you, he didn't mean anything too you did he? I hope not, cause he's dead now, so sorry." The triangle said, "The names Bill Cipher by the way, I hope we become close friends in the future." 

Wirt felt the air leave his lungs, Greg, dead, no he couldn't be, but... Wirt curled up in the sheets on the bed and started to cry.

"None of that now, you're safe here, I don't understand, are you not happy to be free, of that place and all the darkness." Bill said, having noticed that Wirt was crying. 

"I know, and I'm thankful for you saving me but the boy who was with me, he was my younger brother, I tried to keep him safe, but I've failed him." Wirt told Bill. 

Bill just nodded, a pensive expression, "I know", Bill said, "how about I show you around, you're going to be living here for a while after all", he floated out of the room, Wirt followed, thinking that there was nothing else for him to do.

 

Dipper, Mabel, and Greg stood in the kitchen facing Ford and Gruncle Stan, both of whom looked at the kids in irritation. 

"So, you made a deal with Bill, Again... and now he has this poor boy's older brother, and you don't know why. How on earth did this happen? You must know by now to not make deals with Bill, I mean, you remember what happened last time." Stan said to Dipper, concern evident in his voice, Ford stood still, looking out the window. He spoke up.

"The boy, Wirt, what could he be to Bill that he would do such a thing to retrieve him, why not do it himself? Greg was it? What made your brother special, how did he become that creature, he was, biased on your description, nothing that that I have come across, and that's saying something." Ford said, still looking out the window.

"The Unknown, that's what they called it, the others there, Beatrice, the woodsman, and, well, and all the others, they called the forest the unknown. There was a beast, I told you that Wirt saved the woodsman's daughter was the beast, the black turtles, they're evil." Greg said softly looking down at a rock. 

Everyone in the room looked over at Greg, shocked, what was he talking about? He was clearly uncomfortable so they didn't press.

"We need to get the kid back, because if Bill wants him for any reason, it's best to assume that Bill's plans are not in the interest of anyone but himself." Stan said, going over to his brother, who turned and looked at him. "But we need to first find out where they're at, Ford I trust you can handle that." 

Ford nodded and said to Dipper, "I'll need help with this, care to join me?" Dipper nodded and he followed Ford out of the room, Greg tried to follow but Mabel stopped him, he looked up at her and she asked,

"We have our own job to help save your brother, don't you want to help me?" Greg nodded, grabbed her hand, and the two followed Stan out of the room.

 

Wirt was in awe of the home that Bill lives in, the size of it seems impossible, not only that but the things he has seem unearthly. Bill seemed adamant that he make himself at home, apparently the world had changed quite a bit, he told Wirt that it had been decades since he went into the unknown, and that the world is now full of people who are out to hurt anyone who looks different, and the fact that Wirt’s eyes had retained those of the beast, the circles upon circles, would make him a target. It was safe here, Bill had told him, and he mustn't leave for any reason without him to keep him safe. Not lie there is much to do, the house is surrounded by a forest. Wirt has had enough of galavanting through the trees for a lifetime, or that many over. Not only that but apparently having housed the power of the beast had made him a gateway to the unknown, a source of infinite power for anyone to use, so long as he stayed near them, and that people would hunt him down to trap him to be used as a generator of sorts, so he needed to be careful of people trying to take him away. It was after this that a seed of doubt planted itself in Wirt’s mind, was Bill trying to help? He must be Wirt thought, even if he was using him, it was hardly like he could go anywhere to get away from Bill, Wirt was not about to go anywhere near the dark forest anytime soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Dipper groaned as he and Ford worked, attempting to track down Bill, and it was going nowhere. They were doing not much else but wait to see what Bill had planned for the young man but Bill seemed to be taking his time in doing whatever plot he had concocted to overthrow and control the world. 

To get the world that he was from to this pitiful dimension would need a portal, and for that he would need to steal supplies from the mystery shack, to do that he would have to face the people who lived there, Bill was not looking forward to that. But he needed to go.

As he moved toward the shack he was caught in a trap, how he had missed this he did not know but now he was stuck, and the twins jumped out from the forest and they took off into the woods, they were going to find Wirt, Bill thinks if they continue in the route they are now, he floats trapped in trap.

Dipper runs through the forest and he finds the old cottage that Wirt had unknowingly been kept in, he pushes open the door and there sitting on the bed is the man himself. Dipper walked up to the weary man and he held out a hand, Wirt took the outstretched hand and pulled himself to his feet. The exited the house and made their way back to the safety of the shack, Greg racing up to meet them halfway followed by Mabel.

Wirt was safe… For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay my life has been busy be it college or NaNoWriMo and I have not been able to watch Gravity Falls in such a long time, once the show ends I will try to catch back up and give this story the ending it deserves but please be thankful, and I am sorry about this.


End file.
